The Japanese box office is a little more interesting to follow if only because it works so much differently from the American box office. As such what seem like "low numbers" may in reality be fantastic. Additionally, the Japanese tend to put more emphasis on long term numbers and attendance, than opening weekend and yo-yoing ticket sales. But we'll mostly stick to income to keep it simple and look at attendance later in to its run.

UPDATE 02/01/17:

This will likely be the final update. It's been a long time since I've updated this, but the success of Shin Godzilla has been pretty clear now. According to World of KJShin Godzilla hit 8.25 Billion Yen in Japan or $79.2 million USD.

Box Office Mojo translates this to $77.9 Million USD. However, the site's inconsistency converting from the fluctuating exchange rate could account for the margin of error between it and World of KJ, which gets its Japanese box office reports directly from Kogyotsushin.

Kogyotsushin lists Shin Godzilla as the 56th highest grossing Japanese film of all time and an attendance of 5.69 million.

Box Office Mojo's estimates for overseas territories (specifically the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Thailand) comes to an estimated $2.3 million USD. $1.9 Million of that came from the United States limited release of the film via Funimation. This puts Shin Godzilla at an estimated $81.5 million USD world wide.

Shin Godzilla came out during the biggest box office year ever in Japan. It is the #1 highest grossing live action Japanese film in three years. The #2 2016 release in Japan and #3 overall. (Your Name. and The Force Awakens [spilling over form 2015] beat it out.) It is the 5th most attended Godzilla film in Japan and will continue to find success as it racks up accolades during the award season.

UPDATE 11/02/16:

It's been awhile since I've updated, but there's not been a whole lot of movement due to Shin Godzilla being pulled from many theaters after a massively successful theatrical run.

According to Kogyotsushin, Shin Godzilla is currently at 7.90 Billion Yen. Going off of The World of KJ's conversion from last week's Shin Godzilla stats, that roughly translates to an estimate of $76.7 Million USD.

A gross of $76.7 million puts Shin Godzilla's attendance at 5.60 million tickets sold, beating Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster and making it the 5th most attended Godzilla movie of all time in Japan. It should also make it the 76th most attended Japanese film of all time--Though we're waiting on more solid numbers to confirm.

Meanwhile, Shin Godzilla had an outstanding limited release in North America that was extended to a second week and is reportedly still showing in some theaters into November. Raking in $1.9 million USD, North American revenue has helped Shin Godzilla's worldwide gross hit an estimated $79 million. However that estimate may be low; other countries' numbers are coming from Box Office Mojo which has yet to update in a few territories and hasn't converted he numbers perfectly, including in Japan. (It lists Shin Godzilla a little short, at $75.4 Million USD.) Regardless, Shin Godzilla hovers around the $79-80 million USD mark worldwide.

For 2016, Shin Godzilla has topped every movie released in Japan except for Your Name. (#1) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (#2), making it the #3 movie of the year. It is, however, without question, the #1 live action Japanese production of the year. It is likely to hold the spot by 2016's end.

UPDATE 09/29/16:

A late update for this past weekend. Shin Godzilla fell from 5th to 9th in weekend nine. It's the largest drop the film has had yet after more screens were pulled. However, exceeded $71 Million USD according to World of KJ. Meanwhile, Variety puts Shin Godzilla closer to $73 million USD. Box Office Mojo places it at $72.9 Million USD. (Once again, we'll stick with World of KJ as they've been our prime source and notably more accurate.)

What is for certain, from both sources, is that Shin Godzilla has surpassed 5 Million admissions. It is on track to top Monster Zero (1965) in attendance and is the first Godzilla movie to crack 5 million in 51 years.

Shin Godzilla has officially topped the gross of both Finding Dory and Zootopia to become the third highest grossing film of the year in Japan.

It is currently the 72nd highest grossing film in Japan of all time and the 93rd all-time most attended film in Japan. Although it is likely to fall out of the top 10 soon, it will remain in theaters a little longer and undoubtedly top Monster Zero's attendance record, currently sitting at 91.

Meanwhile, Shin Godzilla opened its limited release in Thailand on 09/08. As of 09/18 its accumulated over $322,000 bringing its world wide total to $71.52 Million USD.

UPDATE 09/20/16:

Box Office Theory reports Shin Godzilla has fallen to #5 over the weekend, grabbing $1.9 million USD for a total of $67.6 Million USD.

Although its slowed down at the box office over the weekend, Monday in Japan was Respect for the Aged Day. World of KJ showed every film received a boost at the box office and Shin Godzilla hit just short of $1 million USD for a current total of $68.5 Million USD.

Shin Godzilla has now surpassed Finding Dory's current gross of $65.4 Million USD and will very much surpass Zootopia's $70 million gross.

However, with Your Name. having blown all the competition away with $88.6 Million USD in just over 3 weeks, Shin Godzilla seems destine to stay at the #3 spot for the year.

Shin Godzilla has already over performed to a massive extent. According to Kogyotsushin, it is currently the 77th highest grossing Japanese film of all time. It's current attendance is at 4.87 million. If it hits the expected finish at $75 million, Shin Godzilla could become the second live action Japanese film to hit that amount since 2009.

UPDATE 09/13/16:

Shin Godzilla fell to #4 this weekend, pulling in $2.1 million USD. It experienced its biggest drop yet in its 7th weekend by 30% from last weekend. However, this is with screens for Shin Godzilla being pulled and four new releases popping up this past weekend--Only two of which bested Shin Godzilla in its 7th weekend.

Box Office Theory and World of KJ report the film now has a total of 6.57 Billion Yen or $63.6 Million USD. The total has brought Shin Godzilla's attendance to 4.5 million, shattering the best of the Heisei series (Godzilla vs. Mothra [1992] and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah [1995]) and Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster's total attendance from 1966.

Shin Godzilla is now the 4th highest grossing film in Japan behind Finding Dory, Zootopia and Star Wars: The Force Awakens--Officially making it the #1 Japanese film for the time being. (Your Name. will undoubtedly surpass it before the year is over, though.) Shin Godzilla will likely surpass Finding Dory by the end of the week and is on track to pass Zootopia's final gross of $70 million.

There is some report that Shin Godzilla has broken in to the top 100 all-time films at the Japanese Box Office, but numbers are uncertain at the moment.

As of right now Shin Godzilla is the most attended film in the franchise in 51 years. 1965's Monster Zero still holds a higher attendance number by over 600,000. It's possible Shin Godzilla could tie or surpass it by the end of its run, which is targeting $73-$75 million USD.

UPDATE 09/05/16:

Shin Godzilla has reached weekend #6 and it's still #2 at the box office. The film fell less than 20% from last weekend for a $3.07 million USD weekend take.

Shin Godzilla has crossed 6 Billion Yen. World of KJ and Box Office Mojo translates that to $58.4 Million USD. Anime News Network reports roughly the same number at about $58.2 Million USD. (The discrepancy is small, but we'll stick with World of KJ and Box Office Mojo since they've been our regular and most reliable source.)

The movie did NOT cross $60 Million USD as reported by The Hollywood Reporter which, like Variety a couple of weeks ago, is misinterpreting information from Anime News Network which was sourced from Japanese site Cinema Today. Do not trust Hollywood Reporter and other sites riding off their report on the Japanese Box Office. Shin Godzilla will likely hit $60 million before the end of the week.

The film's attendance has now surpassed the second highest attended/grossing Heisei Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. It sits at 4.08 Million in attendance and will definitely pass Godzilla vs. Mothra '92 to become the most attended Godzilla film in 50 years. Currently it is the 9th most attended Godzilla movie.

Shin Godzilla is expected to finish around the mid-$70 million USD mark. It is currently the highest grossing live action Japanese film of the year and 5th highest grossing film of 2016 overall. If it finishes above $70 Million it will pass Zootopia's final gross to become the 2nd highest grossing film of the year. (Until Your Name. passes it--Which it will.)

UPDATE 08/29/16:

As usual, the estimates were lower than the actuals. Shin Godzilla made $3.6 Million USD over the weekend. It only dropped 6% from last week.

World of KJ and Box Office Theory place the film at $51.7 Million USD. Anime News Network puts it a little lower at $51.63 Million USD. (We'll stick with World of KJ and Box Office Theory as they've been the most reliable sources.) Anime News Network also pointed out that the movie has out grossed Anno's last theatrical film, Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.

Both, however, confirm that Shin Godzilla has indeed hit 3.6 Million in attendance! It is 200,000 tickets away from topping 1993's Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II attendance.

Shin Godzilla is currently on pace to surpass $60 Million USD.

UPDATE 08/28/16:

Initially predicted to make $2.7 million USD this weekend, Shin Godzilla held strong with only a 10% drop from last weekend and estimated $3.4 Million USD.

World of KJ and Box Office Theory's estimates put Shin Godzilla at #2 for its 5th weekend. It's total estimate is 5.2 Billion Yen, or $50.8 Million.

The real success story this weekend is the film, Your Name. by director Makoto Shinkai who is being hailed as, "the next Miyazaki." Your Name. is smoking August box office records, so the fact that Shin Godzilla is holding so well is impressive.

Currently Shin Godzilla's attendance is 3.54 million. It was originally expected to finish at 3.0-3.3 million in attendance, but is closing in on 4.0 million. Attendance wise it has smoked the entire Millennium series, Legendary's movie and four out of seven of the Heisei films.

It is also important to note that Box Office Actuals have been higher every weekend, so it's possible Shin Godzilla is a little higher. We'll know more soon when the actuals come in.

From the data we have, Shin Godzilla is the highest grossing Godzilla film in Japan, the 12th most attended Godzilla film in Japan and the 6th highest grossing film in Japan, 2016.

UPDATE 08/22/16, 9:00EST:

Seems that Variety misinterpreted the Japanese Box Office rankings. Box Office Theory now has weekend actuals that report Shin Godzilla was in fact #1 and made more than the initial estimate.

Variety's misreport is explained by the Japanese Box Office thread manager of Box Office Theory:

"Godzilla is #1 in gross; Pets is #1 in admissions. Often times, Variety and other sources report #1 films in Japan wrong, so be wary. Godzilla has also grossed more than the $42.5 million estimate, and much more than $38 million that Variety says."

World of KJ and Box Office Theory report Shin Godzilla made $3.8 million USD over the weekend, bringing its total to 4.5 Billion Yen or $44 Million USD and over 3.09 million in attendance.

Box Office Mojo also confirms World of KJ and Box Office Theory's $44 Million number.

Shin Godzilla is currently the 6th highest grossing movie in Japan for 2016.

UPDATE 08/22/16, 6:00EST:

Variety is now reporting that there has been a discrepancy in counting at the Japanese box office--Claiming Secret Life of Pets won the weekend and Shin Godzilla is currently at $38 Million USD, placing #2 at the box office.

However, Japanese website Kogyotsushin hasn't updated, featuring Shin Godzilla as the victor for the weekend.

It's a little hard to swallow that Shin Godzilla would have only made around $6 million in a week and remain at #2, especially with other new releases going on.

After falling to #2 last weekend, Shin Godzilla is #1 at the box office again during its 4th weekend. It reclaimed its spot from Secret Life of Pets and topped the new Hollywood release, Ghostbusters.

World of KJ and Box Office Theory report it dropped 20% from its earnings last weekend, yet has earned over 4.3 Billion Yen ($42.5 Million USD). 4 Billion Yen is what the movie was expected to finish with, but it's clear it will make over 5 Billion Yen ($50 million USD) at this point.

With a current estimate of over 2.9 million in attendance, Shin Godzilla is now challenging the Heisei era attendance numbers. If the film gets near $60 million USD, it could be one of the highest attended Godzilla films since the mid-late 1960s.

UPDATE 08/17/16:

The Bon Festival has concluded and Shin Godzilla is still holding its #2 spot at the box office after 20 days in theaters.

Monday and Tuesday, Shin Godzilla was up an average of 77% from last Monday and Tuesday. Though it fell 19% from last Wednesday.

Being the highest grossing Godzilla film in Japan, it has also stomped the attendance records of the Millennium series. The highest attendance for the last Toho era was Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah's (2001) 2.4 million. Shin Godzilla attendance currently sits at a 2.59 million and is on pace to finish around 3.5+ which is over 500,000 more than originally projected and places it in the middle of the highly successful Heisei series.

Shin Godzilla is on pace to finish the week with $40 million USD before its 4th weekend begins.

UPDATE 8/14/16:

World of KJ and Box Office Theory report that in it's third weekend Shin Godzilla only dropped around 10% from last weekend, pulling in an estimated $4.8 million USD. It currently sits at #2 at the box office.

The new release, The Secret Life of Pets, just barely beat Shin Godzilla with an estimated $5.0 Million USD for the weekend.

Gross-wise, it is currently the most successful Godzilla film in Japan sitting at an estimated 3.36 Billion Yen or $32.6 Million USD--Most relevantly beating the entire Heisei, Millennium and Legendary grouping. It is still on course to hit $50 million USD.

UPDATE 8/13/16:

The Bon Festival continues in Japan this week with Shin Godzilla and The Secret Life of Pets battling for 1st place again. Both movies are keeping the new release of Jungle Book at a firm third place.

World of KJ and Box Office Theory claim TheSecret Life of Pets will likely sneak into the #1 spot due to high family numbers that show on Sunday, but it's not a lock as Shin Godzilla isn't showing a significant drop from last weekend and will likely pull around another $4 million USD for Saturday and Sunday.

The current estimated gross for Shin Godzilla is 3.07 Billion Yen, which is $29.7 million USD.

UPDATE 8/11/16:

World of KJ reported weekday estimates that show that Shin Godzilla has slipped to second place due to The Secret Life of Pets opening Thursday. (Likely due to the Bon Festival happening this weekend in Japan.)

Shin Godzilla's momentum hasn't slowed much though. It sits at an estimated 2.7 Billion Yen, or $26.1 million USD. It has a chance to pass Godzilla 2014's final gross by the end of this weekend.

UPDATE 8/8/16:

Box office actuals have come in for Shin Godzilla's second weekend. Instead of a 20% drop and $5.1 Million USD, Shin Godzilla seems to have only dropped 15% and made closer to $5.3 Million USD.

In 10 days, Shin Godzilla has surpassed the final gross of every Heisei and Millennium release and is tracking to overtake Legendary's Godzilla '14. Attendance has already surpassed three of the last thirteen Godzilla movies and it is poised to carry one of highest attendance rates since the late 60s.

UPDATE (8/7/16):

Shin Godzilla's second weekend only slipped 20% as predicted, pulling in 517 Million Yen, or $5.1 Million USD. It was number 1 at the box office for its second weekend--A feat that even Godzilla '14 didn't accomplish in 2014 in Japan.

At 2 Billion yen, or $19.6 Million USD, Shin Godzilla has all but mopped he floor with the Heisei/Millennium Godzilla series' individual, final numbers in 9 days and change.

World of KJ, Box Office Theory and Variety says Shin Godzilla is expected to keep drawing in numbers from older audiences as public and critical reception continues to give the film momentum. These sources claim it's still on target to finish around $40 million+.

Original Post (8/6/16):

Early opening numbers usually just count the "weekend"--Saturday and Sunday. So while Shin Godzilla opened on Friday, most English speaking box office reports only counted Saturday and Sunday because Friday was either overlooked or the numbers had not been released.

In the case of Shin Godzilla, there's lots of great news:

Initial reports claimed the movie opened with 625 Million Yen, which roughly translates to $6.1 million USD. But that didn't include Friday numbers.

World of KJ reports the full Friday, Saturday and Sunday take was actually over 845 Million Yen, which takes Shin Godzilla to $8.2 million. For the entire weekend.

Monday, thanks in part to Shin Godzilla's success, Toho announced that their Japanese Godzilla series has sold 100 million tickets. As of Monday, Shin Godzilla earned 1 Billion Yen, or $9.89 Million USD.

According to World of KJ and Box Office Theory, the forecast for the second weekend is for Shin Godzilla to remain number 1 and only fall about 20% from opening weekend due to excellent word-of-mouth and reviews. It could very well place Shin Godzilla at $19.6 Million USD--A number which would surpass most of the final numbers of the Heisei and Millennium series.

Shin Godzilla is expected to finish around $40-$50 million USD in Japan which would make it the highest grossing Godzilla film ever to be released in the country. Currently the record is held by Godzilla '14 with $29.9 million USD. We'll see.

Godzilla at the Japanese Box Office since the 1990s:

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

GMan, do you know what the budget for Shin ended up being?Also, are the numbers (for prev G films), adjusted for inflation, or what they actually made that year? I believe KKVsG is still the most attended G film (11.2 mil tix), which I have no idea what the adjusted amount would be.I'm thinking if Kong:SI and G2 are successful, and GVsKong comes to fruition, it's going to be absolutely huge there. Your thoughts?

King Kong vs. Godzilla is still the most attended Godzilla film and that will be unlikely to change... ever. (It is the 12th most attended Japanese film of all time.) But it also comes from a very different time in the Japanese film industry where everyone was seeing movies and the cinema was really thriving.

Japanese film has never really made a big comeback after it collapsed in the 1970s. It's certainly become more stable, but sort of just limped out of the abyss. Because of that I've only included the Godzilla films of the (arguably) most "financially stable" era(s) of modern Japanese cinema.

The past films are not adjusted for inflation, but we're only looking at a $4 million USD gap at the very most. $2-3 when it comes to the Millennium series. Maybe less.

The problem is ticket prices yo-yoed a lot in the 1990s due to various reasons. For example, while GINO made more money, ticket prices were higher for the Hollywood flick, because Godzilla vs. Destoroyah had greater attendance by 500,000. Apparently this has normalized in the last decade or so as the Millennium films are more consistent with numbers & gross.

As for Shin Godzilla, the rumored budget that has been circulating is $10 million+. I have my suspicions it's higher, but either way we should know for sure when the art book is released.

I think Godzilla vs. Kong absolutely has the potential blow out seats in not just Japan, but everywhere--But we have to get there first. If Skull Island isn't a success I'd start worrying about the currently derelict Godzilla 2.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

Shin Godzilla's second weekend only slipped 20% as predicted, pulling in 517 Million Yen, or $5.1 Million USD. It was number 1 at the box office for its second weekend--A feat that even Godzilla '14 didn't accomplish in 2014 in Japan.

At 2 Billion yen, or $19.6 Million USD, Shin Godzilla has all but mopped he floor with the Heisei/Millennium Godzilla series' individual, final numbers in 9 days and change.

World of KJ, Box Office Theory and Variety says Shin Godzilla is expected to keep drawing in numbers from older audiences as public and critical reception continues to give the film momentum. These sources claim it's still on target to finish around $40 million+.

Shin Godzilla currently sits at 2.02 Billion Yen, or $19.6 Million USD.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

It has a lot to view and enjoy: panel discussion with the three lead actors; footage of the red carpet premiere; footage of the opening of the theatrical run, with reactions by people in the audience; behind-the-scenes; scenes from the film not seen in trailers, with the dialogue audible; motion capture actor Mansai Nomura playing Godzilla; CG effects; Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi and Katsuro Onoue on location; the filming of crowd scenes and much, much more.

In 10 days, Shin Godzilla has surpassed the final gross of every Heisei and Millennium release and is tracking to overtake Legendary's Godzilla '14. Attendance has already surpassed three of the last thirteen Godzilla movies and it is poised to carry one of highest attendance rates since the late 60s.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

This is great news about Shin Gojira. It would appear that Japan has embraced this film, and that it is a critical and commercial success. I like what I've seen (and read) so far, and look forward to seeing this Godzilla as soon as possible.

For others, however, this good news is apparently not so good. Some posters on other forums, who seem to subscribe to the cult ofkaiju/tokusatsu expert worship, have rejected Shin Gojira because it is not liked by certain individuals. One went as far as to say that "________is someone whose opinions I trust." Personally, I don't care what other people think of films I like. For example, Godzilla 2000 Millennium is at best, a fair-to-middling affair to many fans. But I love it. I respect the right of people to have their opinions. What I do not respect, or consider sound or even logical, is the idea that if some people like a film, it somehow acquirers credibility and becomes an acceptable part of the canon. An opinion is just that: one opinion. But according to some, a lot of the movie-going public in Japan apparently don't have good taste.

It's actually really interesting to me how massive of a divide there is between western and domestic opinion. Not that many westerners have seen it, but the "authorities" don't seem to like it. It may not necessarily speak to the quality of the film, but present-day cultural riffs. It'll be interesting to see myself, however I end up feeling about it.

From what I can tell the "authorities" don't like the subtle theme shifts and other western fans are simply divided. Some seem to love, others not so much. On that front it appears to be a case of misinterpreting what's going on/has gone on in Japan for the last couple of decades.

I love polarizing Godzilla movies.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

The problem I see is that they will definitely want Anno back for the next one, assuming they try to follow this up and don't go the millennium route with every movie new continuum, but I think he put off his Evangelion movie to do this, not sure they can keep pushing that back, or if he'd even want to since well Evangelion is probably his baby and something he wants to do.

World of KJ reported weekday estimates that show that Shin Godzilla has slipped to second place due to The Secret Life of Pets opening Thursday. (Likely due to the Bon Festival happening this weekend in Japan.)

Shin Godzilla's momentum hasn't slowed much though. It sits at an estimated 2.7 Billion Yen, or $26.1 million USD. It has a chance to pass Godzilla 2014's final gross by the end of this weekend.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

The Bon Festival continues in Japan this week with Shin Godzilla and The Secret Life of Pets battling for 1st place again. Both movies are keeping the new release of Jungle Book at a firm third place.

World of KJ and Box Office Theory claim The Secret Life of Pets will sneak into the #1 spot due to high family numbers that usually show on Sunday, but it's not a lock as Shin Godzilla isn't showing a significant drop from last weekend and will likely pull around another $4 million USD for Saturday and Sunday.

The current estimated gross for Shin Godzilla is 3.07 Billion Yen, which is $29.7 million USD.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

Wondering if the high turnout of Shin Godzilla could encourage funimation to try to increase their release of the movie overseas using Japan's huge opening as a way to sway more theaters into giving the movie an opening of some kind.

^It's possible, I know that Higuchi is apparently using this time to polish up some CG shots that were relatively unfinished for international releases--Such consideration for overseas releases might help prompt that.

Meanwhile, for further perspective, the highest grossing, live-action Japanese film last year was Attack on Titan Part I with $25.7 million. Shin Godzilla passed that earlier this week and still has a little ways to go before its not relevant at the box office anymore.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

World of KJ and Box Office Theory report that in it's third weekend Shin Godzilla only dropped around 10% from last weekend, pulling in an estimated $4.8 million USD. It currently sits at #2 at the box office.

The new release, The Secret Life of Pets, just barely beat Shin Godzilla with an estimated $5.0 Million USD for the weekend.

Gross-wise, it is currently the most successful Godzilla film in Japan sitting at an estimated 3.36 Billion Yen or $32.6 Million USD--Most relevantly beating the entire Heisei, Millennium and Legendary grouping. It is still on course to hit $50 million USD.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

I think now is a good time to talk about attendance figures in regards to this film--And as of right now it's looking very good.

At $32.6 Million USD, Shin Godzilla's attendance sits at an estimated 2.3 million. In Japan today if movies hit 3-4 million in attendance, that's a major accomplishment.

After the Japanese film industry collapsed in the 1970s it didn't ever really make a comeback and has sort of limped on since then. Thus figures like King Kong vs. Godzilla's insane 12 million in attendance is a mythical figure that will never return. (Of course it hit that number due to less saturation as well.) Even Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster's 5.4 million in attendance is a deeply rare number. Attendance numbers will never top the first 5 Godzilla films. In fact most films, foreign & domestic, will never top them in Japan today. So that's a "dream on" scenario.

Right now Shin Godzilla has a higher attendance than the entire Millennium series, except for one: Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2.4 million in attendance) will be knocked off early this week. After Shin Godzillatops GMK's attendance, it'll start checking off 1990s movies later this week/weekend starting with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (2.7 million in attendance).

Shin Godzilla likely has another 3-4 weeks (maybe more) and will probably hit the coveted $50 million milestone. Only 4 movies have done that in Japan this year so far: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Zootopia, Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the Five Stories, Nyan!

Only one of those movies is live action and it's foreign. This means Shin Godzilla could potentially become the second live action movie to hit that milestone this year and the first Japanese live action movie to do it for 2016.

So what happens if Shin Godzilla hits $50 million? It'll average an attendance estimate of 3.5 million. An average attendance of 3.5 million would put Shin Godzilla around the 11th-12th most attended Godzilla film of all time, beating the entire Millennium era, about half the Heisei films, the latter 1960s movies and of course the low 1970s.

If Shin Godzilla gets a little closer to $60 Million we're looking at 4 million in attendance which could match the top grossing Heisei films. I think that number is a little optimistic, but I can see the film just barely nicking it.

In short, Shin Godzilla is already a success, but as it continues to climb it'll be interesting how it affects the future of the franchise.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

Throughout the film's production, my principle concern was how it would do in Japan, commercially and critically. The trailers and TV spots were reassuring as far as the visuals are concerned. But, it would seem that the response by fans, viewers and critics points to a meaningful and well-written narrative that resonates with the nation and the individual.

^I certainly don't think fans all over the world will have it all, given the specific themes of the film. However, for those willing to open up and research about current events in Japan and what are hot buttons there, it just might be a rewarding experience. We'll see this fall I suppose.

C'mon FUNimation. Where's our release date?

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

I think the examining of issues involving government and bureaucratic incompetence in the face of disastrous events has a broad, universal appeal. There are themes in some of the early Showa films, like Mothra vs. Godzilla (commercial greed), or in the Millennium entry, Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (youthful intransigence), that almost anyone, anywhere can relate to. We'll have to see to which the political/social commentary in Shin Gojira resonates with people outside of Japan. Some of the comments made by viewers in Japan about actions in the film actually made me smile (cell-phone usage, selfies, etc.). So much of what we do is universal, easy to relate to. I'm looking forward to this narrative and commentary, God willing.

Monday and Tuesday, Shin Godzilla was up an average of 77% from last Monday and Tuesday. Though it fell 19% from last Wednesday.

Being the highest grossing Godzilla film in Japan, it has also stomped the attendance records of the Millennium series. The highest attendance for the last Toho era was Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah's (2001) 2.4 million. Shin Godzilla attendance currently sits at a 2.59 million and is on pace to finish around 3.5+ which is over 500,000 more than originally projected and places it in the middle of the highly successful Heisei series.

Shin Godzilla is on pace to finish the week with $40 million USD before its 4th weekend begins.

--"It wouldn't be a true Godzilla film if you didn't touch upon those things. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not a true Godzilla fan." - Mike Dougherty, fellow gatekeeper-elitist ;)

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